Understanding the Purpose of Music

How might we define the purpose of music according to the text?

What kind of experience can listening to music provide?

What should the ear and mind be ready for after mastering the gift of listening to a Haydn symphony?

In early times, to which entity did organised music belong?

Who took the best composers and talented performers into their service in later times?

What was the role of amateur musicians in later times?

Who was the Russian composer known for establishing a new national school and submerging Western-European influences?

Which composer was the driving force in establishing the group known as 'The Mogutschaya Kuchka'?

Who was the first Russian composer to achieve widespread international recognition?

What is the main difference between Operetta and Musical Comedy?

Name two popular Musicals that emphasize unity and theatrical realism.

In what country has Band Music, played by military bands, brass bands, and pipe bands, held its place in public favor?

The Purpose of Music

Music is often defined as "expression in sound" or "the expression of thought and feeling in an aesthetic form".
Music has the power to awaken spiritual sensations and emotions in us.

The Evolution of Music

Historically, music belonged to the church, then became the property of the privileged few.
With the advancement of professional musicians, amateur musicians found music as a means of self-expression.
Music evolved to embrace forms and styles more accessible to the masses.

Opera and Operetta

Operas were initially performed privately, with the first "commercial" operatic venture taking place in the 17th century.
Opera houses opened to the general public in many cities, leading to the development of operetta and musical comedy.
The line between operetta and musical comedy is narrow, with examples including The Gipsy Baron, The Merry Widow, and Oklahoma.

National Music and Composers

In the 19th century, composers sought to emancipate their national music from foreign influences.
Russia was one of the first countries to raise the banner, with Glinka establishing a new national school based on Russian folk songs and church music.
Other Russian composers included Dargomizhsky, Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Moussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer to gain international recognition.

Instrumental Music

Instrumental music broke away from sacred worship and into secular channels.
Instrumental players provided music for public functions, developing into small orchestras and eventually symphony orchestras.
Later, orchestras of the cafe type assumed more artistic responsibility, catering to public tastes.

Band Music

Band Music, including military bands, brass bands, and pipe bands, has maintained popularity, especially in Great Britain.
American popular music initially clung to European forms and conventions before being influenced by Afro-American music.

Explore the various definitions and considerations surrounding the purpose of music, beyond simply providing pleasure. Discover how music serves as an expression of thought, feeling, and aesthetics, and its power to evoke sensations and emotions within us.